FRANK KIM BERRY (FKB) PASSED AWAY ON JUNE 6TH (2016) OF A HEART attack in his Oklahoma home. Best known nationally as sponsor of two recent U.S. Championships (2007-8) and as one of only a few American FIDE international arbiters, Frank was one of those unique chess characters who have kept tournament chess alive in the heartland, organizing and directing events of all sizes for more than 50 years. His kind is a vanishing breed, but one that US Chess would do well to remember.

RRSO History (RRSO Tournament Director):

RRSO History (Oklahoma Chess Team Captain):

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member):

In RRSO VII, Ken Breland battled a strong Oklahoma chess expert down to the wire.

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Please submit a photo to the Webmaster

Ronnie Burklow (TX)Photo not available

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Todd Canary (OK)Photo courtesy of Tom Braunlich

In RRSO I, Todd Canary split his match with a tough Texas opponent and retired from chess soon after.

RRSO Playing History (Oklahoma Chess Team Member)

Danny Dunn (TX)Photo courtesy of his family

In RRSO XVI, Danny Dunn scored 1-1/2 points on Board 13 to help lead Texas to victory.

Posted on the TCA Facebook page (22 October 2018):

En Passant.
We regret to inform all of the passing of Danny Dunn on September 14, 2018. The entire TCA family extends its heartfelt sympathy to his wife, Nancy, his family and his friends.

Danny Dunn, Ph.D. Chess Biography

US Chess Life Member
Texas Chess Team Member
Captain of the Tarrant Chess Team
Played in one US Open and one National Open
Peak rating is 1934 according to USCF online records going back to only 1991
Ranked in the 95th Percentile for all Texas chess players
Ranked in the 88th Percentile for all USA chess players
Ranked in the 68th Percentile for all USA senior chess players
Active member of the Fort Worth, Tarrant County and North Arlington Chess Clubs
Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from University of North Texas
Started his professional career as an analytical chemist at Alcon Laboratories
Retired from Alcon after 32 years as Vice-President of Analytical Chemistry

Other Interests:
Reading
Photography (including chess photos at RRSO and BRAZOS - one of his photos is used as the logo for the Texas Armed Forces and Military Veterans Open Chess Championships - "No one ever took such an awesome photo of a chess board." - Jim Hollingsworth)
Solutions Editor for the chess problem magazine "StrateGems" for 11 years
Contributor to Oklahoma Chess Monthly and Texas Knights
Married for 51 years (Nancy), 2 children (Andy, Wendy), 2 grandchildren (Drew, Addison)

"My parents bought me a plastic chess set when I was young and I taught myself to play from books. I joined USCF and started playing in tournaments in high school. I have beat a couple of experts, but never a master. I was never a club officer or won a championship. I stopped playing chess during my working years, but started playing OTB again after I retired."

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Aurelio "Frank" Gonzalez (TX)Photo and Graphics by Jim Hollingsworth

Perhaps it is fate that last Easter Sunday our old friend Aurelio “Frank” Gonzalez was strolling through Fort Worth’s Greenwood Memorial Park with his wife Kathy, looking at tombstones and getting ideas for decorating her deceased mother’s grave, when he paused and mentioned, “When I go, I want ‘Checkmate!’ on my tombstone!” Who could have known then the beloved North Texas player would pass away in only a few weeks?

RRSO Playing History (Texas Chess Team Member)

Albert Rine was an avid chess player and served on the boards of both the Oklahoma Chess Association and the Oklahoma Scholastic Chess Organization. He shared his love of chess with many students by organizing competitive chess clubs at schools where he taught and by volunteering at Chess Adventure Camp during summers. A Reserve Civil Affairs Army Major who deployed during the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT); Albert also served with the RRSO Webmaster at Fort Sill and was a tournament director in the Lawton Chess Club